The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has approved the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja, as the home ground of the Super Eagles during the FIFA World Cup qualification game against Ghana in March.
The qualifier, which is a double fixture, is scheduled to hold between March 21 to March 29, with Ghana hosting the Super Eagles in the first leg before the return leg now scheduled for Abuja.
CAF made this known via a letter sent to the General-Secretary of the Nigerian Football Federation, Sanusi Mohammed, dated, January 3, 2022.
The letter read: “Reference to participation of the national team of Nigeria in the FIFA world cup Qatar 2022 African qualifiers playoff rounds which will take place from March 21 to March 29, 2022, following the stadium assessment and inspection process conducted by CAF, kindly find below the decision on the venue selected by your association.
“Please note that the approved stadium will be set as the venue to host the match Nigeria vs Ghana related to the FIFA world cup Qatar 2022, African qualifiers playoff round.”
CAF also stressed that the stadium must be well-managed according to the requirements of the African football governing body.
“Nonetheless, please find attached in Annex A the inspection comments and remarks to the addressed in the coming period by your association, in order to guarantee that the stadium is maintained in the list of CAF approved stadiums for senior competitions.
“Among other aspect mentioned in the report, the stadium management is requested to ensure that the playing surface area, floodlights and dressing rooms are brought up to the required level to host this important match.
“We appreciate your contribution in helping us raise the level of African football with improved facilities as we continue to gain exposure to a global audience.”
The Super Eagles move to Abuja after they played all the matches in the first phase of World Cup qualifiers against Liberia, the Central African Republic and Cape Verde at the Teslim Balogun Stadium.